Test drill



t to bottom and, consequently, the danger of conmy improved atus, aSample e having Patented July 11, 1939 2,165,685

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEST DRILL Frank O. Sturges, Dormont, Pa.

Application November 17, 1937, Serial No. 174,914

3 Claims. (01. 255-1) This invention relates to test drills, and moreprojecting beveled shoulder II of the drive shoe particularly to animproved apparatus for drill- II and is connected to the lowermostsection of ing through the overlying strata of the earth to the innercasing by a reducing'collar I3a. secure test samples of the earthformation. A collar I5 having an internal buttress thread 5 When abuilding or any other structure is to be I6 is secured to the uppermostsection of drill 5 erected having a foundation extending into the pipemaking up the outer cas g and a driving strata overlying bed rock, it isextremely imporhead I! is connected to the collar I for drivin tant tohave an accurate knowledge of the type the outer casing I0 into theearth formations. In and character of the various formations f the orderthat the inner casing I2 will be driven with earth in order that thefoundations for such e Outer Casing I0 d t Sample eI e d 10 buildings orother structures may be properly deagainst the shoulder I4 of the driveshoe II, an signed, and also so that the problems and difficulannularnut l8 having a buttress thread is ties which will be encountered duringthe excavathreaded into the collar I5 nto e a e t w h tion of thefoundation, may be accurately foretold, a collar I9 which is secured tothe upp Sec- It is an object of the present invention to pro- O of p ofthe inner Casing I2 for protecting 15 vide simplified and improvedapparatus for takthe threads on said Section The nut I8 s p ing samplesoi the earth surface whereby a convided w spaced p n pr jec ions tinuoussample may be secured of the various Which may be readily e aged bySuitable 13001 f ti of the earth, which will accurately inserted throughthe driving head to tighten the {10 disclose the character of theformation at any nut d force the lower end of the sample tube 20 d sir dl l or d th By means of my improved I3 against the shoulder I4 of-thedrive shoe II. apparatus th hole i always Cased from the top In taking asample of the earth formations with t i t of t samphss to be taken bycavea length slightly in excess of the length of the ins and t like areehminatech sample desired to be taken is inserted in the out- This andother objects which will hereinafter casing to, which is composed of aSuflicient b m d apparent t th ki in t a number of connected sections ofdrill pipe to proticular art, I attain by means of this invention, e alength of easing h y less than one embodiment of which is described inthe 1701- length O t e a p e tube and the lower end of o lowingspecification and illustrated in the accomthe Sample u s S pported onthe shoulder I4 panying drawin h r i of the drive shoe II. The collar I5is then Figure 1 is a view showing a, ros ti f threaded onto theuppermost section of the easthe earth formations having a apparatus madeing I0 and the nut I8 is threaded into the collar in accordance with myinvention extended thereinto e e t W th the Cellar N which is then in, aportion of the drilling apparatus being secured to the top of the sampletube I3. The 35 broken away for convenience'of illustration; driving dIT is e secured to t e co la l5 Fig. 2 is an enlarged vie in secti f thand the apparatus so assembled is driven into the per end of thedrilling apparatus; earth for the desired distance, approximately fiveFig. 3 is an enlarged view in section showing the feet, and since allthe parts of the apparatus are 40 means of connecting the sample tube tothe intubular, p n of t formations drilled 40 ner casing; d throughrises within the sample tube I3.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged i i ti f t After the apparatus has been driven tothe delowerend of the drilling apparatus and showing sired depth, thenut I8 is removed and the sample the setting of the sample tube on thedrive shoe. tube I3 i pulled ut f th u er a in 0 and My improvedapparatus for taking continuthe core of material in the interior thereofis 45 0115 sample of t earth formati is composed carefully removed andpreserved. After the core of an outer casing m for d of a series of hasbeen removed from the sample tube, this tube n ot d ti of drill pipehaving a drive shoe is again inserted in the outer casing I0 and low- IIsecured to the lowermost section thereof and Bred into engagement Withthe Shoulder 0n the an inner casing I2 formed of a series ofconnectdrive Shoe one more Sections of p 50 ed sections of pipe of m hatmaller di t r pending on the length desired, are then joined to than thediameter of the drill pipe used in the each of the outer casings I0 andto the sample outer casing I0. The inner casing I2 terminates tube I3and the collar I5 with the driving head at its lower end inattain-walled sample tube I3 I I thereon is again secured t pp which issupported at the bottom on an inwardly section of the casing I0 afterwhich the nut I8 66 is threaded into place to hold the end of the sampletube l3 firmly in place against the abutting shoulder I 4. The drillingapparatus is then driven through another predetermined distance ofapproximately five feet, after which the sample tube is again removedfrom within the casing l0 and the core of material therein is againtaken therefrom.

The above cycles of operation are then continued until the drill holehas been driven to the depth desired.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that with my improvedapparatus the casing Ill remains in the drill hole at all times and,consequently, cave-ins of soft materials through which the hole has beendrilled are prevented and since the sample tube l3 travels with theouter casing when it is being driven, a complete continuous sample ofthe earth formation is secured, the sections of which may be joinedtogether to give an exact replica of the cross section of the earthformation.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention, it is apparentthat various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and that devices such as trapvalves now commonly used in sample boring when drilling through softmaterials may be used with my improved sample tube. It should be furtherunderstood that while I have shown the drill pipe sections as havingsquare threads, any type of pipe suitable for drilling and havingstandard or other type of threads may be readily used, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for use in taking test samples of earth formationscomprising a casing, a drive shoe on one end of said casing, a sampletube positioned within said casing and supported on said drive shoe, acollar secured to the other end of said casing and having an internallythreaded section, a drive head secured to said collar, and

' a nut threaded into said collar for engaging and holding said sampletube in position within said casing.

2. Apparatus for use in taking test samples of earth formationscomprising a casing, a drive shoe on the bottom of said casing, a collarsecured to the top of said casing and having an internal buttressthread, a drive head secured to said collar, a sample tube positionedwithin said casing and supported on said drive shoe and terminating atits upper end within said collar, and a nut having a buttress thread,cooperating with the buttress thread on said collar for engaging andholding the sample tube in position within said casing, whereby both thecasing and the sample tube will be driven simultaneously.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a casing, adrive shoesecured to one end of said casing and having an inwardly projectingshoulder, a collar secured to the other end of said casing, a drive headconnected to said collar, a sectional sample tube within said casing andsupported on said shoulder and terminating at its upper end within saidcollar, and means threaded into said collar for holding said sample tubein contact with said shoulder.

' FRANK C. S'I'URGES.

